Washington D.C. Education Committee's Hearing on Trauma Informed Public Schools

Two-and-a-half years ago, a school administrator confronted District of Columbia Councilmember David Grosso with a stark and surprising reality when he visited the Walker-Jones Education Campus to learn about a literacy intervention program. At the end of the visit, the school official delayed Grosso’s departure to make one additional point: Something must be done to address the fact that over 40% of all DC students have experienced trauma—a “jaw-dropping” number, according to Grosso.

This year Grosso became chair of the Education Committee and has made trauma, mental health, and school discipline his top priorities. In preparation for budget discussions ahead, Grosso held a roundtable hearing on June 23, “The Value in Investing in Trauma-Informed Public Schools and Support Services.”About 30 people testified during the 3.5-hour hearing, including local officials, child advocacy and healthcare organizations, teachers, therapists, social workers, and others.

Let's encourage our SD County Board of Education to support "The Value in Investing in Trauma-Informed Public Schools and Support Services". Please speak with your Principals, Administrators, Teachers and all in your sphere of influence to transform their Policies, Practices, Procedures and Programs through resiliency building, trauma informed Systems change.